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100% Pure Love

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"100% Pure Love"
Single by Crystal Waters
from the album Storyteller
ReleasedApril 11, 1994 (1994-04-11)[1]
Genre
Length4:40
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Teddy Douglas
  • Jay Steinhour
Crystal Waters singles chronology
"Makin' Happy"
(1991) 		"100% Pure Love"
(1994) 		"Ghetto Day/What I Need"
(1994)
Music video
"100% Pure Love" on YouTube

"100% Pure Love" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Crystal Waters from her second studio album, Storyteller (1994). It was released on April 11, 1994 by Mercury and A&M (UK), as the album's lead single. The song was a hit in many countries, reaching the top 20 in Australia, Finland, the Netherlands, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. It is certified platinum in Australia and gold in the US. In 1995, it was awarded the prize for Top ASCAP Dance Song.[2] And its accompanying music video, directed by Marcus Nispel, was nominated for Best Dance Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards.

Background and release

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The song is inspired by her relationship at the time. The singer says she chose the stylings of the song as a reaction to the popularity of gangsta rap during the mid-1990s in the United States.[3]

Looking to write a positive song, she sent an early draft to her production team Basement Boys who "hated the hook" but "loved the verses." Originally the song was built on the lyrics, "the beat goes boom," before she went back to the drawing board and considered the reasons she was writing the song in the first place. "From the back to the middle and around again, I'm going to be there 'til the end, 100% pure love," emerged as the next draft and became the lyrics in the completed version of the song.[3]

Crystal Waters also signed and debuted as a model with the Ford Modeling Agency in August 1994. They included her as a special guest in fashion collections in both Europe and the United States. And "100% Pure Love" was the theme of Ford's “Supermodel of the World" contest that year.[4]

Critical reception

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Larry Flick from Billboard wrote that here, the "enigmatic voice" behind the 1991 smash "Gypsy Woman" "returns with a percussive pop/dance twirler from her new Storyteller opus. Though it seemed impossible to come up with a hook as catchy as 'la-da-di, la-di-da', Waters and cohorts the Basement Boys have done exactly that, and wrapped it with dramatic strings and butt shagging cowbells."[5] M.R. Martinez from Cash Box felt that Waters' "smokey vocals" worked best on uptempo material, like "100% Pure Love".[6] Anderson Jones from Entertainment Weekly stated that the "hip-swaying infectious grooves" of the track "can't be denied."[7] Bradley Stern from Idolator noted that it is "armed with a real subtle earworm of a chorus", calling it a "campy house anthem".[8] Howard Cohen from Knight-Ridder Newspapers commented, "Waters' jazz-inflected voice merges with hard-edged house instrumentation, while the song's dark and heady synthesizer intro is a hard-to-decline signal to hit the dance floor."[9] Chuck Campbell from Knoxville News Sentinel felt the "smoky grooved" song showed that Waters vocal is "stronger and more confident" than on her previous hit "Gypsy Woman".[10]

In his weekly UK chart commentary, James Masterton wrote, "The lady with possibly the most unusual voice in dance music is back." He also described the song as "more of the same kind of left-field nonsense".[11] Andy Beevers from Music Week gave it four out of five, complimenting it as "an impressive comeback", stating that "boasting a strong garage production from The Basement Boys and a catchy vocal hook, this could cross over."[12] Wendi Cermak from The Network Forty said it is "100% fierce!"[13] Sam Steele from NME wrote, "'100' is a clubby house stomper with big beats and a huge catchy chorus. A breezy backdrop to a drunken evening in an Ibiza/Essex discotheque."[14] Orla Swift from Record-Journal deemed it a "bright, dynamic number", that is "displaying a knack both for catchy melodies and innovative arrangements".[15] Tim Jeffery from the Record Mirror Dance Update noted that it "features a catchy 'Back to the middle and round again' hook that should be enough to propel it into the charts."[16] Jonathan Bernstein from Spin viewed it as a "potential successor" to Waters' signature singles.[17] Eddie B. Allen Jr. from Toledo Blade described it as the "most forceful" of the dance singles on the album.[18]

Chart performance

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The single reached number 11 on the US Billboard Hot 100, number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and number 38 on the Billboard R&B chart. It spent a total of 45 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming one of the longest charting singles in the US to date. The song won a Billboard Music Award for Top-Selling Hot Dance Music Club Play Single at the 1994 Billboard Music Awards. The song was certified gold in the United States.[19] In Europe, it entered the top 20 in Finland (14), the Netherlands (11), Scotland (19), Switzerland (20), and the United Kingdom. In the latter, the single peaked at number 15 during its second week at the UK Singles Chart, on April 24.[20] On the UK Dance Singles Chart, it reached number one. Additionally, it was a top-30 hit in Austria (26) and Iceland (25) and a top-40 hit in Belgium (31) and Germany (33). On the Eurochart Hot 100, "100% Pure Love" hit number 49, and it topped the European Dance Radio Chart.

The song proved to be most popular in Australia. It first entered the ARIA Singles Chart at number 40 on June 26, 1994, then reached number three three weeks later. On July 31, the song reached its peak position of number two.[21] It dropped to number three the next week, then spent four more weeks at that position before falling to number four on September 11. Afterwards, it remained in the chart for a further seven weeks before dropping out of the top 50 on November 6. It finished 1994 as Australia's 11th-best-selling single and has since received a platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) for shipments exceeding 70,000 copies.[22]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "100% Pure Love" was directed by German director Marcus Nispel. The choreography was done by then-unknown Michael K. Williams. The clip was also nominated for Best Dance Video at the 1994 MTV Video Music Awards. It was later made available remastered in HD by Vevo on YouTube in 2009.[23]

Impact and legacy

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ASCAP awarded "100% Pure Love" the prize for Top ASCAP Dance Song in 1995.[2] Australian music channel Max included it in their list of the "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011.[24] Idolator ranked it one of "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994" in 2014.[8] BuzzFeed ranked it number nine in their list of "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s" in 2017.[25] In 2021, the same publication ranked it number five in their list of "The 50 Best '90s Songs of Summer", calling it "the greatest '90s dance song of the '90s dance genre".[26] Billboard ranked it number 500 in their list of the "Top Songs of the '90s" in 2019.[27]

British band Years & Years released a cover of the song in 2022 that Target would use for its holiday campaign that year.[28]

Track listings

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  1. "100% Pure Love" (radio mix) – 3:06
  2. "100% Pure Love" (club mix) – 8:15
  3. "100% Pure Love" (Gumbo mix) – 5:22
  • US CD maxi-single (858711-2)
  1. "100% Pure Love" (Club Mix) – 8:15
  2. "100% Pure Love" (Radio Mix) – 3:06
  3. "100% Pure Love" (Gumbo Mix) – 5:22
  4. "100% Pure Love" (Hump Mix) – 5:33
  5. "100% Pure Love" (DJ EFX's Tribal Pump Mix) – 6:41
  6. "100% Pure Love" (PG Tips Anthem Mix) – 7:42
  7. "100% Pure Love" (Trance Vox) – 6:40

Charts and certifications

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Certifications

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Certifications and sales for "100% Pure Love"
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[22] Platinum 70,000^
United States (RIAA)[19] Gold 500,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Years & Years cover

[edit]

On November 1, 2022, Olly Alexander-helmed Years & Years released a cover of the song.[63][64]

Charts

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Weekly chart performance for "100% Pure Love" by Years & Years
Chart (2022) Peak
position
Croatia (HRT)[65] 54
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[66] 9

Keke Palmer version

[edit]

In December 2023, actress and singer Keke Palmer teamed up with search engine Google to promote black owned businesses with a modified cover of Crystal Waters’ 100% Pure Love titled for the occasion “100% Black Owned”. A music video was shot for the occasion with appearance and vocals by Crystal Waters. The performance promoted a new search engine highlighting small black owned businesses on the internet.[67]

References

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  1. ^ "Single Releases" (PDF). Music Week. April 9, 1994. p. 23. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  2. ^ a b "Congratulations To Our Winners" (PDF). Billboard. July 1, 1995. p. 16. Retrieved November 28, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Glitterbox Ibiza (June 14, 2017), Glitterbox Radio Show 011: w/ Crystal Waters, archived from the original on December 12, 2021, retrieved August 29, 2017
  4. ^ Martinez, M.R. (August 13, 1994). "Urban — The Rhythm" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved March 6, 2022.
  5. ^ Flick, Larry (April 9, 1994). "Billboard: Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
  6. ^ Martinez, M.R. (June 11, 1994). "Urban — Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. Retrieved February 28, 2022.
  7. ^ Jones, Anderson (May 20, 1994). "Storyteller". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved November 11, 2020.
  8. ^ a b Stern, Bradley (November 20, 2014). "The 50 Best Pop Singles of 1994 (Featuring New Interviews with Ace of Base, TLC, Lisa Loeb, Real McCoy & Haddaway)". Idolator. Retrieved April 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Cohen, Howard (August 6, 1995). "Can't duck disco". p. 4E. Wisconsin State Journal.
  10. ^ Campbell, Chuck (June 10, 1994). "David Byrne': Talking Head Repeats Himself". Knoxville News Sentinel.
  11. ^ Masterton, James (April 17, 1994). "Week Ending April 23rd 1994". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved September 6, 2021.
  12. ^ Beevers, Andy (April 9, 1994). "Market Preview: Dance" (PDF). Music Week. p. 15. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  13. ^ Cermak, Wendi (May 6, 1994). "Crossover" (PDF). The Network Forty. p. 26. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  14. ^ Steele, Sam (April 16, 1994). "Singles". NME. p. 39. Retrieved August 23, 2023.
  15. ^ Swift, Orla (April 15, 1994). "Off the Record". Record-Journal. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  16. ^ Jeffery, Tim (April 2, 1994). "Hot Vinyl" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). p. 7. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  17. ^ Bernstein, Jonathan (June 1994). "Spins". Spin. p. 99. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
  18. ^ Allen Jr., Eddie B. (July 3, 1994). "Sounds: "Storyteller" Crystal Waters". Toledo Blade. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
  19. ^ a b "American single certifications – Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". Recording Industry Association of America. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  20. ^ a b "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  21. ^ a b c "Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  22. ^ a b c "ARIA Top 50 Singles for 1994". ARIA. Retrieved October 27, 2018.
  23. ^ "Crystal Waters - 100% Pure Love (Official Music Video)". YouTube. October 9, 2009. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  24. ^ "Top 1000 Greatest Songs Of All Time – 2011". Max. 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  25. ^ "The 101 Greatest Dance Songs of the '90s". BuzzFeed. Retrieved October 7, 2018.
  26. ^ Stopera, Matt; Galindo, Brian (June 29, 2021). "The 50 Best '90s Songs Of Summer". BuzzFeed. Retrieved August 23, 2021.
  27. ^ "Greatest of All Time: Billboard's Top Songs of the '90s". Billboard. 2019. Retrieved April 22, 2022.
  28. ^ Skinner, Tom (November 2, 2022). "Listen to Years & Years' "liberating" cover of Crystal Waters' '100% Pure Love'". NME. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  29. ^ "Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  30. ^ "Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  31. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 2627." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  32. ^ "Top RPM Dance/Urban: Issue 2512." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  33. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 19. May 7, 1994. p. 11. Retrieved March 31, 2018.
  34. ^ "European Dance Radio Top 25" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 20. May 14, 1994. p. 22. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  35. ^ Pennanen, Timo (2006). Sisältää hitin – levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla vuodesta 1972 (in Finnish) (1st ed.). Helsinki: Tammi. ISBN 978-951-1-21053-5.
  36. ^ "Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love" (in German). GfK Entertainment charts.
  37. ^ "Íslenski Listinn Topp 40 20.01.1994 – 26.01.1994". Dagblaðið Vísir (in Icelandic). June 30, 1994. p. 16. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  38. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – 100% Pure Love". Irish Singles Chart.
  39. ^ "Regional Airplay: South" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 22. May 28, 1994. p. 31.
  40. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 24, 1994" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40.
  41. ^ "Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love" (in Dutch). Single Top 100.
  42. ^ "Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". Top 40 Singles.
  43. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  44. ^ "Crystal Waters – 100% Pure Love". Swiss Singles Chart.
  45. ^ "Dance Singles" (PDF). Music Week. April 23, 1994. p. 30. Retrieved April 25, 2021.
  46. ^ "The RM Club Chart" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). April 16, 1994. p. 4. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  47. ^ "Crystal Waters Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
  48. ^ "Crystal Waters Chart History (Dance Club Songs)". Billboard.
  49. ^ "Crystal Waters Chart History (Dance Singles Sales)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2021.
  50. ^ "Crystal Waters Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard.
  51. ^ "Crystal Waters Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard.
  52. ^ "Crystal Waters Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard.
  53. ^ "Cash Box Top 100 Pop Singles" (PDF). Cash Box. October 15, 1994. Retrieved February 19, 2018.
  54. ^ "Top 50 Dance Tracks on 1994". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved April 14, 2018.
  55. ^ "1994 in Review: European Dance Radio" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 11, no. 52. December 24, 1994. p. 8. Retrieved February 28, 2024.
  56. ^ "Jaarlijsten 1994" (in Dutch). Stichting Nederlandse Top 40. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  57. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1994" (in Dutch). MegaCharts. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
  58. ^ "The RM Club Chart of the Year" (PDF). Music Week, in Record Mirror (Dance Update Supplemental Insert). December 24, 1994. p. 10. Retrieved May 20, 2023.
  59. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1994". Archived from the original on March 1, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  60. ^ "The Year in Music: Hot Dance Music Club Play Singles". Billboard. December 24, 1994. p. YE=74. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  61. ^ "The CASH BOX Year-End Charts: 1994". Cash Box. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012.
  62. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1995". Archived from the original on August 15, 2009. Retrieved August 27, 2010.
  63. ^ "100% Pure Love - Years & Years". Apple Music. November 1, 2022. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  64. ^ Skinner, Tom (November 2, 2022). "Listen to Years & Years' "liberating" cover of Crystal Waters' '100% Pure Love'". NME. Retrieved November 5, 2022.
  65. ^ "HRT Airplay Radio Chart No. 1055 - Issue Date: November 28th 2022" (PDF). Hrvatska Radiotelevizija. November 29, 2022. Retrieved November 30, 2022.
  66. ^ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of November 16, 2022". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved November 16, 2022.
  67. ^ "Keke Palmer Keeps Minding Her Black-Owned Business". The Sacramento Observer. September 2, 2024. Retrieved November 23, 2023.
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